During our session, Ron and Tom will explore what being truly “Agile” looks like, for your product development as well as your business teams. They will cover what is in it for products, customers, and your organization as a whole, and what we as leaders can do to spark the best outcomes from our teams.
Speakers
Ron Lichty, Consultant: Interim VP Engineering & Author, Managing the Unmanageable
Tom Evans, Senior Principal Consultant & Trainer, 280 Group
Summary
When Ron Lichty queries developers about their agile experience, they often tell him not that they are doing Agile, but that they are working somewhere that says it’s doing Agile. The word ‘agile-ish’ comes up frequently. When Tom Evans talks with product managers about Agile, they often say that their development teams are doing Agile, but our business is not Agile, which diminishes the benefits of agile product development.
Agile practices do, in fact, help teams deliver better products more effectively. But there is often a mishmash of practices at play. What’s more, teams are seldom aligned about what they mean when they use the word “Agile.” There is so much more to Agile, and so much more value to be gained from actually being Agile. According to the Agile Alliance, “Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. It is a way of dealing with, and ultimately succeeding in, an uncertain and turbulent environment.” But business leaders set rules and processes that inhibit a company’s ability to adapt to change.
There is tremendous value to be gained from being truly Agile. During our session, Ron and Tom will explore what being truly “Agile” looks like, for your product development as well as your business teams. They will cover what is in it for products, customers, and your organization as a whole, and what we as leaders can do to spark the best outcomes from our teams.
About the Speakers
Ron Lichty has championed delighting customers for 30-plus years and believes that strong product/engineering collaboration is essential to achieving that goal. He consults in making software development and product development “hum”, taking on interim VP Engineering roles, advising executive leaders how to untangle the knots in their product development organizations, training teams in agile, training managers in managing software people and teams, and coaching development teams and executives. Ron spent seven years as a programmer, two years as a product manager, and 25 years managing product and development organizations at all levels – at companies ranging in size from tiny startups to Charles Schwab, Stanford and Apple – to VP of engineering, VP of product and CTO. Ron co-authored the Addison-Wesley book Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams ( ManagingTheUnmanageable.net ) and has co-authored six of the seven surveys resulting in the Study of Product Team Performance ( ronlichty.com/study.html ). Ron can be reached at ronlichty.com
Tom Evans is a Senior Principal Consultant and Trainer at 280 Group and is an internationally recognized authority in product management, product marketing, international business, go-to-market strategies, business partnerships, and entrepreneurship. He has helped start-ups through Fortune 500 companies create and launch winning products and has led business development efforts in the US and global markets. Tom has been responsible for successfully developing and implementing methodologies covering numerous vertical industries, technologies, and international markets. His industry experience includes complex software solutions for manufacturing, document management, call centers, financial services, and project management. Tom lived and worked in Brazil and has conducted business internationally, including Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. Tom was a contributing author to the “42 Rules of Product Management” and to the “42 Rules of Product Marketing”. Tom has achieved the following certifications from the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM): Certified Product Manager (CPM), Certified Product Marketing Manager (CPMM), and Agile Certified Product Manager & Product Owner (ACPMPO). Tom has a BSEE from The United States Air Force Academy, an MSEE from The University of Dayton, and graduated with honors with an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. Tom can be reached at linkedin.com/in/compellingpm